9alpha-fluoro-4, 11beta-dihydroxyprogesterone and process



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.QarFLUORO-I,llfi-DIHYDROXYPROGESTERONE AND *PR'QCESS ,qJosef Fried, New Brunswick, N. J.,;- assignor-.to-lin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, New; York, N. Y., a corporation of Virginia No Drawing. Application April 2,1956, Serial No. 575,309

"Claims. (Cl; 260-'-397.45)

This invention relates to, and has for its object, the provision of steroids of the general formula wherein R is hydroxy or acyloxy, particularly acyloxy radicals of hydrocarbon carboxylic acids having less than ten carbon atoms, exemplified by the lower alkanoic acids (e. g. acetic, propienic, butyric and enanthic acid), the mon-ocyclic aromatic carboxylic acids (e. g. benzoic, toluic and xyloic acid) and the monocyclic aralkanoic acids (e. g. a-toluic and phenylacetic acid). These compounds are pharmacolo gically-active steroids, useful as glucocorticoids. Hence the new steroids of this invention can be used in lieu of known glucocorticoids, and may be administered instead of, and in the same manner as, cortisone or hydrocortisone in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and dermatomyositis. The dosage for such administration is, of course, dependent on the relative activity of the compound.

The compounds of this invention are prepared from 9afluoro-llfl-hydroxyprogesterone, by interacting the latter with osmium tetroxide in an inert solvent (e. g. ether and 'dioxane) in the presence of a basic catalyst (e. g. pyridine). The osmic acid ester initially formed is then decomposed to 9a-fluoro-4a,5o,llfl-trihydroxy 3,20-diketopregnane by treatment with a reducing agent, such as sodium sulfite in Water, and the resultant 4a,5oc-dihydroxypregnane is then treated with a base, such as an alkali metal hydroxide in an organic solvent (e. g. potassium hydroxide in methanol) to yield the 9oc-fll101'0- 4,11fl-dihydroxyprogesterone. The 9a-fluoro-4,1lB-dihydroxyprogesterone, thus formed, can then be esterified by treatment with an acylating agent such as an acyl halide or acid anhydride, preferably in an organic solvent (optimally in an organic base such as pyridine) to give the corresponding 4-acyloxy derivative. The preferred acylating agents are those of organic hydrocarbon carboxylic acids containing less than ten carbon atoms, exemplified by the acyl chlorides and acid anhydrides of lower a-lkanoic acids, monocyclic aromatic ca-rboxylic acids and monocyclic aralkanoic acids.

The following examples are illustrative of the invention (all temperatures being in centigrade) EXAMPLE 1 Osmic acid ester of 9a-fluoro-pregnane-4a,5a,11B- trial-3,20-dione To a solution of 100 mg. of 9oz-fll101'O-l lfl-hydroxy- Patented Dec. 1( 1957 progesterone in 1.5 ml. of dioxane and 3.5. nil. of ether is added 91 mg. of osmium tetroxide and 0.1 ml. of anhydrous pyridine. The reaction mixture is allowed to remain at room temperature in the dark 011.24 hours and the dark brown precipitate is filtered off and washed with ether. The dried material (about 180 mg.) consists of the osmic acid ester of 9u-fluoro-preg'nane- 4a,5a,1l5-triol-3,20 dione having the structural formula 180 mg. of the osmic acid ester of 9cz-fl110r0 pregnanc- 4a,5a,1'1,e-trio1-3,20-dione formed by the procedure of Example 1 is dissolved in 2.5 ml. of dioxane and a solution of 600 mg. of sodium sulfite in 4.3 ml. of water is added. The mixture is refluxed for 20 minutes and after cooling 10 ml. of chloroform is added. The black precipitate is filtered off and washed with chloroform. The filtrate layers are separated, the aqueous phase washed With chloroform and the combined chloroform extracts washed with water. After drying over sodium sulfate, the solution is evaporated to dryness and the residue (about mg.) is dissolved in 5 ml. of chloroform and 15 ml. of benzene for chromatography on 1.6 g. of sulfuric acid washed alumina. Elution of the column with chloroform-benzene 1:4 (700 ml.) and chloroformbenzene 1:1 (300 ml.) furnishes 9a-fluoropregnane 4a,5oc,1lB-triOl-3,20-di0n6, which after three crystallizations from ethyl acetate has the following properties:

a M. P. 241244; [@1 D 86 (c. 0.54 in CHCI Milt; no selective absorption at 240 m Analysis.Calcd. for C H 'O F (382.45): C, 65.95; H, 8.16. Found: C, 65.99; H, 7.87.

A solution of 25 mg. of 9a-fluoropregnane-4a,5a,l1B- triol-3,20-dione in 2 ml. of 2.5% KOH in methanol is allowed to stand at room temperature for 2 hours. At the end of this period water is added and the mixture extracted with chloroform. The chloroform solution is extracted With Water and dried over sodium sulfate. Evaporation of the solvent in vacuo gives 90z-flll0l'0- A -pregnene-4,1lfi-diol-3,20-dione. The substance gives a green coloration with ferric chloride.

EXAMPLE 4 9a-fluoro-4-acetoxy-1 ZB-hydroxyprogesterone A solution of 25 mg. of 9u-fluoro-4,1lfii-dihydnoxyprogesterone in 0.25 ml. of pyridine and 0.25 ml. of acetic anhydride is allowed to remain at room temperature for 20 hours. At the end of that period the reagents are removed in vacuo, and the crystalline residue recrystallized from acetone-hexane to yield pure 9oc-fl110f0-4- acetoxy-l lfl-hydroxyprogesterone.

Similarly, by substituting other acylating agents for the acetic anhydride of Example 4, the corresponding ester derivatives are formed. Thus, propionic anhydride, nheptanoic anhydride, benzoyl chloride and a-toluyl chloride yield their respective 4-acyloxy derivatives.

The invention may be variously otherwise embodied Within the scope of the appended claimsr I claim:

1. A compound of the general formula.

wherein R is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy and an acy-loxy of an organic hydrocarbon carboxylic acid having -less than ten carbon atoms.

2. 9a-fluoro-4,11fl-dihydroxyprogesterone.

4. The osmic acid ester of 9oc-fiLl0I'O pregnanc- 4a,5 u,1 1p-trio1-3,20-dione.

5. The process for preparing 9a-fluoro-4,11/8-dihydroxyprogesterone which comprises interacting 9a-fluoro- 11,8-hydrodyprogesterone and osmium tetroxide, decomposing the resulting osmic acid ester, and dehydrating the resulting 40:,5a-di0l by treatment with a base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,707,190 Farrar Apr. 26, 1955 2,727,912 Colton Dec. 20, 1955 

1. A COMPOUND OF THE GENERAL FORMULA
 5. THE PROCESS FOR PREPARING 9A-FLUORO-4,11B-DIHYDROXYPROGESTERONE WHICH COMPRISES INTERACTING 9A-FLUORO11B,-HYDRODYPROGESTERONE AND OSMIUM TETROXIDE, DECOMPOSING THE RESULTING OSMIC ACID ESTER, AND DEHYDRATING THE RESULTING 4A,5A-DIOL BY TREATMENT WITH A BASE. 